Therapists

Speech Therapy Exercises for Adults at Home: Effective Practice Between Sessions

May 4, 20266 min read

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The success of speech-language therapy for adults depends primarily on what you do between sessions, not just weekly visits with your clinician. Regular, short home practice sessions prove more effective than sporadic longer sessions (Van Leer et al., 2021). In this article, you'll discover which exercises you can do at home, how to perform them safely, and how to maintain consistency. For a broader overview of home speech therapy exercises, read our article on how to assign speech therapy exercises effectively. For other age groups: speech therapy exercises for 3-year-olds or our 10 effective speech therapy exercises.

Why Short, Frequent Practice Sessions Work

Motor learning, the process by which your body learns new movement patterns, happens best through repetition and consistency. Research in voice therapy shows that daily short practice sessions of 5 to 10 minutes yield better results than longer, less frequent sessions (Sackley et al., 2024). This is because:

Frequent repetition helps automate new movement patterns faster
Short sessions prevent fatigue and overload of the vocal folds
Daily routine makes therapy a natural habit

Studies show that patients who receive app based support with reminders practice significantly more often than patients with written instructions alone (Van Leer et al., 2021).

Safety First: When to Stop

Before beginning home exercises, know when to stop. Speech therapy exercises should never be painful. Stop immediately and contact your speech-language pathologist if you experience:

Sharp pain in or around your throat during or after exercises
Sudden voice loss that doesn't recover within a few hours
Increased hoarseness that doesn't improve after an hour of rest
Dizziness or shortness of breath during breathing exercises
Neurological symptoms such as tingling, weakness, or coordination problems

Mild muscle soreness can be normal, especially initially, but genuine pain is a warning signal (Guzmán et al., 2017).

Categories of Home Exercises

1. Voice Warm Up: Foundation for Healthy Voice Use

Just as an athlete warms up before training, your voice needs warming. Semi occluded vocal tract exercises, where you partially obstruct your airflow, prove effective for vocal warm up (Guzmán et al., 2017).

Lip Trill (brrrr sound):

Make a brrrr sound with your lips while sustaining a tone
Start at a comfortable pitch
Do this 5 to 10 times, each time 3 to 5 seconds
May help reduce vocal complaints and throat discomfort

Straw Phonation:

Sing a tone through a straw in a glass of water (2 to 3 cm deep)
Water resistance helps regulate breath pressure
Do glissandos (sliding tones) up and down
Research suggests water resistance therapy can reduce subglottic pressure (Guzmán et al., 2020)

2. Breath Support for Speech

Adequate breath support is crucial for healthy voice, although not all patients need intensive breathing training (Desjardins & Bonilha, 2020). Your speech language pathologist will indicate whether breath support is important for you.

Abdominal Breathing During Speech:

Place one hand on your chest, one on your abdomen
Breathe in calmly, feel your abdomen move outward
Sing a sustained "aaaah" while your abdomen gradually comes inward
Avoid tension in shoulders and neck
Some studies show breath support training can improve voice parameters in specific patient groups (Desjardins & Bonilha, 2020)

Reading Breath Patterns:

Read a sentence aloud
Notice where you naturally breathe
Practice breathing at punctuation marks (periods, commas)
Avoid talking "on empty" on residual air

3. Articulation Exercises: Clear Sounds

Articulation exercises focus on precisely and clearly forming speech sounds.

Exaggerated Articulation:

Read a short sentence with strongly exaggerated mouth and tongue movements
For example: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
Gradually reduce exaggeration to natural speech
This technique can help make articulation patterns more conscious

Difficult Sound Combinations:

Practice specific sounds you find challenging
For example: "str", "spr", "kst"
Start slowly and gradually speed up
Repeat 10 times per session, 2 to 3 times daily

4. Articulation in Context: Carryover to Conversation

The biggest challenge in speech therapy is transfer of practiced techniques to spontaneous speech. Conversation Training Therapy emphasizes practicing in natural conversation contexts from the start (Gillespie et al., 2019).

Phone Calls with Focus:

Choose one practice technique (e.g., breathing or articulation)
Conduct a brief phone conversation with attention to this technique
Reflect afterwards: did it work?

Reading Aloud Daily:

Read aloud for 5 minutes daily from a book or article
Focus on one voice or articulation goal
Audio recording can be valuable for self reflection (but ask your clinician's permission first)

Embedding Routine in Daily Activities

Maintaining consistency is easier when exercises become part of existing routines (Mahmood et al., 2022). Link exercises to daily moments:

While driving: lip trills or soft humming
In the shower: warm up exercises with voice glissandos
While walking: articulation exercises or reading practice sessions
Before bed: relaxation exercises for throat and shoulders

Research on home exercises for various conditions shows that linking to existing habits significantly improves adherence (Mahmood et al., 2022).

Maintaining Motivation and Adherence

Studies show that approximately 68% of patients with voice complaints adhere to recommended home exercises, but this percentage is lower in certain groups (Rosow et al., 2019). Factors that help maintain adherence:

Set realistic goals: Start with 3 days per week and build up
Use reminders: Phone alarms or post it notes in strategic places
Track your progress: Check off exercises on a calendar or in an app
Seek social support: Involve family or housemates in your exercises
Celebrate small successes: Acknowledge progress, however small

Van Leer (2021) emphasizes the importance of self-efficacy (belief in one's ability) and problem-solving strategies for long-term therapy adherence. If you find yourself struggling with consistency, discuss this openly with your speech-language pathologist—they can help identify obstacles and find solutions.

References

Desjardins, M., & Bonilha, H. (2020). The impact of respiratory exercises on voice outcomes: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Voice, 34(4), 648.e1-648.e22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2019.01.011

Gillespie, A. I., Yabes, J., Rosen, C. A., & Gartner-Schmidt, J. L. (2019). Efficacy of conversation training therapy for patients with benign vocal fold lesions and muscle tension dysphonia. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(3), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-S-18-0250

Guzmán, M., Acuña, G., Pacheco, F., Peralta, F., Romero, C., Vergara, C., & Quezada, C. (2017). The impact of double source of vibration semioccluded voice exercises on objective and subjective outcomes in subjects with voice complaints. Journal of Voice, 31(4), 422-433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.10.011

Guzmán, M., Bertucci, T., Pacheco, C., Leiva, F., Quintana, F., Ansaldi, R., Quezada, C., & Muñoz, D. (2020). Effectiveness of a physiologic voice therapy program based on different semioccluded vocal tract exercises in subjects with behavioral dysphonia. Journal of Communication Disorders, 87, 106022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.106022

Mahmood, A., Deshmukh, A., Natarajan, M., Marsden, D., Vyslysel, G., Padickaparambil, S., Shwetha, Ts., Direito, A., Kumaran, S. D., Girish, N., Sachdev, H., Veluswamy, S. K., Karthikbabu, S., Unnikrishnan, B., English, C., & Solomon, J. (2022). Development of strategies to support home based exercise adherence after stroke: a Delphi consensus. BMJ Open, 12(1), e055946. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055946

Rosow, D. E., Diaz, J., Pan, D. R., & Lloyd, A. T. (2019). Hispanic ethnicity as a predictor of voice therapy adherence. Journal of Voice, 33(6), 947.e1-947.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.07.008

Sackley, C. M., Rick, C., Brady, M. C., Woolley, R., Burton, C., Patel, S., Masterson-Algar, P., Nicoll, A., Smith, C. H., Jowett, S., Ives, N., Beaton, G., Dickson, S., Ottridge, R., Sharp, L., Nankervis, H., & Clarke, C. E. (2024). Lee Silverman voice treatment versus NHS speech and language therapy versus control for dysarthria in people with Parkinson's disease. BMJ, 386, e078341. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-078341

Saltürk, Z., Özdemir, E., Sari, H., Keten, S., Kumral, T., Berkiten, G., Tutar, B., & Uyar, Y. (2019). Assessment of resonant voice therapy in the treatment of vocal fold nodules. Journal of Voice, 33(5), 810.e1-810.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.04.012

Van Leer, E. (2021). Enhancing adherence to voice therapy via social cognitive strategies. Seminars in Speech and Language, 42(4), 267-279. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-1730975

Van Leer, E., Lewis, B., & Porcaro, N. (2021). Effect of an iOS app on voice therapy adherence and motivation. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 30(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00213

Important Note: This article provides educational information and does not replace individualized speech language pathology advice. Always consult with your speech language pathologist before beginning new exercises. For more general information about speech therapy exercises at home, see our article on speech therapy exercises for home. .